5 potential surprise roster cuts for Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs will have some very difficult decisions to make during roster cuts.

Depth players like Chad Henne, Breeland Speaks and Deon Yelder are dealing with injuries, putting the team in a roster crunch heading into the regular season. It’s not yet clear whether any of them will be able to return this season, especially Henne and Speaks. Injured players who are not on the 53-man roster for Week 1 are out for the season and cannot be designated to return. This is going to make for some very interesting decisions for the Chiefs when it comes to roster cuts.

There’s always a chance for a surprise roster cut this time of year. Last year it was cornerback David Amerson. The trade for Charvarius Ward made Amerson expendable. Here’s a look at five Chiefs players who could find themselves in Amerson’s shoes as roster cuts come in over the weekend:

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LB Dorian O’Daniel

O’Daniel’s case is perhaps the most intriguing to follow on the Chiefs’ roster. He was a promising third-round draft pick in 2018 but he just hasn’t been able to see the field early and often with this new defense.

One thing of note is that he struggled to see the field last season too despite being clearly one of the fastest linebackers on the team. He said he wasn’t ready, but now we’ve learned that Bob Sutton’s defense was unusually difficult to master.

So what’s the holdup in the change to a seemingly easier defensive scheme under Steve Spagnuolo? O’Daniel has had some good practices lately and saw some action with the second-team when Darron Lee was injured. That could be a sign that the Chiefs plan to keep him. Special teams will also obviously factor into the decision, and he’s been one of the special teams snap leaders through three games.

I counted a season where the Spagnuolo kept as many as eight linebackers roster with the Giants, so it wouldn’t be too crazy to see the Chiefs carry six or more, with O’Daniel being one. However, if someone else becomes available, O’Daniel could easily find himself cut.

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